


The Kryptonian Grimoire

by TheBeardedOne



Series: Harry Of El [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Superman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27773260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeardedOne/pseuds/TheBeardedOne
Summary: A collection of short stories and informational articles.
Series: Harry Of El [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030536
Kudos: 6





	1. A Dragon's Worth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a character piece which follows Draco Malfoy in his career post-Hogwarts.  
> It also shows what happened to several of his followers.

Draco sat at the head of the boardroom table, looking down at the various heads of the different companies that operated under the umbrella of the White Wing Artificers name. To his left, his mother sat making notes on the newest version of the Tanuki Tools Datascreen, a computer pad which included inbuilt video and audio recording systems as well as the ability to transfer data to and from the more common work-desks while behind him, Pansy Parkinson stood clad in what appeared at first glance to be a high-quality muggle business suit and cap, but which boasted an integrated flight set and protective runes.

Upon deciding to take advantage of the work-desks to make his job easier, Draco had managed to poach several people from Evans Enterprises who had the skills and knowledge required to check the items in question to ensure that they did not contain any form of monitoring spells (or similar) which could be used by their former employer to spy on him. The checks had all come up clean, but Draco still only used them for his fully-legitimate operations.

"…and so we are beginning to recruit for the planned expansion." The Chief Manager of Eagle's Platter concluded. "The Lily's Rest Hotels have proven that there is a very large market in the Muggle World which can be tapped and although we will have to rely mainly on non-magical staff and procedures once the expansion starts, we have recruited several half-bloods and muggleborn who have experience in the muggle world to help us bridge the cultural differences."

"Very good." Draco nodded with an approving smile and the Wizard sat down with a self-satisfied expression. "However, I must advise caution. How many new Platters were you planning on opening?"

"Ummm… four in London set within walking distance of the Leaky Cauldron in each cardinal direction."

Draco shook his head. "Spread it out more. I would recommend seven or so, one per city."

"But… I looked out of the Leaky Cauldron and…" The Wizard shrunk under Draco's gimlet stare. "…yes, sir. Which cities would you suggest?"

"The seven largest." Draco glanced at his mother, who nodded and tapped at her pad, turning it so that he could see the result. "London, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol. Put three in London, spread out to avoid accidently competing with each other, so at _least_ five miles apart, preferably more. Get a Muggleborn to research the best locations for them."

"Yes sir… um, muggleborn?"

"Muggleborn." Draco confirmed."You need someone who does _more_ then peep out of a door at the crowds."

"…yes, sir."

Draco gave the Wizard a firm look to drive his point home, then turned to the next manager. "And how is Dragonguard Warding doing?"

"Profits are up five-thousand percent." The Witch responded. "The new line of reactive Wards, while still less capable than those that Lord Potter has deployed, is a marked improvement on the previous setup. I took the liberty of promoting the wizard who came up with the idea of connecting all the counter-strike spell arrays to a single power reservoir with a special array which selects one of the response-spells at random."

"Impressive." Draco mused. "And approved."

"He also came up with a way to make the wardstones modular, so that the spell arrays can be swapped out." The witch added. "I have forwarded details to your private message pad should you wish to upgrade the Wards of Malfoy Manor."

"I shall make certain to read it fully." Draco replied. "How has Gringotts reacted to the new line?"

"They insist that their Wards are strong enough not to need replacing, but they have ordered Ward Arrays for their newer branches."

"Make certain that they get their money's worth." Draco ordered. "Word will leak that Gringotts trusts _us_ to supply Wards…"

"…and demand will soar even further as a result." The Witch finished. "Understood."

.

"Well, I do believe that most of today's business has been dealt with." Draco sighed as the last of the managers filed out of the door. "Is anything important happening tonight?"

Pansy looked at the small display set on the inside of her left sleeve. "Your schedule is clear, sir. Did you have anything in mind?"

"I think I'll have a private dinner at the Peacock's Platter." Draco mused. "Contact Nott, I need to discuss a few things with him."

"He still holds a grudge over the Stadium, sir." Pansy reminded him and Draco shrugged.

"I know, but he also knows which side his Galleons are gilded on. No, he will come, if only to see what I want of him and how he can profit from it."

"Very good, sir." Pansy's fingers seemed to flicker as she typed and sent the message for him, then they stepped through the doors. Crabbe and Goyle, also clad in muggle-style suits but carrying umbrellas that were reinforced to the point that it would take an Unforgivable to penetrate their fabric, stopped leaning against the wall and fell into position behind them. Draco spared them a nod of acknowledgement and the duo brightened up at the indication that their boss appreciated their presence, even if they were little more than mobile shields in combat terms. "Nott has acknowledged the message and will be there in half an hour unless you wish differently."

"That's fine." Draco shrugged. "It'll be a private dinner, so put your meals on the standard expense account. My treat."

The hulking duo brightened even more and Draco hid a sigh at the proof of their lack of intelligence. It was an open secret that while the Peacock's Platter did also provide food for servants, there were several different levels of menus available. Greg and Goyle's expense accounts were the basic sort, limited to having the lowest-quality menu which was about equal to that served at the Eagle's Platter, whereas Pansy was listed as having access to the highest level of menu, one that matched that available to the regular clientele, although she generally went for the menu several steps below. The one time he had asked her why, she said it was so that when she _did_ have the best food, it was a proper treat.

Reaching the lift-shaft, Draco and his entourage stepped into it and began to descend to the level which had the Arch linking his headquarters to his private (and highly secure) room at the Peacocks Nest, from which it would only be a quick walk down a couple of hallways before they reached the Peacock's Platter and the glorious meals available within.

.

Clad in his finest robes and meticulously groomed so that not even a single hair was out of place, Theodore Nott strode into the Peacock's Platter and came to a stop by the Greeter's podium.

"Theodore Nott. I believe that I am expected."

"Of course, sir." The Veela behind the desk smiled as a second Veela, so similar to her that they could have been sisters, stepped up. "Lord Malfoy is in the Merlin's Chamber. Marietta will lead you to him"

"This war, sir." Marietta curtsied, then she turned and led the way through the lavishly-decorated dining hall. Theodore followed, his eyes dropping her her shapely behind barely hidden by her gauzy robes. Marietta almost seemed to glide as she led him up the flight of stairs and to the gold-and-jewel-decorated doors set in the center of the balcony that held the various private dining rooms. Knocking once on the door, she stepped through and sank into a curtsy so deep that Nott was surprised that she had not fallen through the carpet.

"Lord Malfoy, Mister Nott has arrived."

"Theo, come in!" Draco called and Nott forced the scowl off his face as he stepped past the Veela. "Thank you, Marietta, we will call when we are ready to order."

"Very good, Lord Malfoy."

Theodore managed to hold the polite smile on his face until he heard the doors close behind him, then he glowered at the fellow Slytherin.

"Driving home how much money you've made at my expense?" He growled and Draco laughed.

"Be reasonable, Nott. You are making plenty of money yourself as a consultant for Dragonguard Warding."

Nott growled at the pointed reminder of how his current lifestyle was dependent on Malfoy's continued largess, then he dropped into the chair opposite Malfoy and glanced down at the menu.

"So, why did you want to speak to me _here_ rather than summoning me to your office? And where's that killer of yours?"

"You still haven't forgiven her for pinning you to the floor that time you lost your temper with me, have you?" Draco chuckled as he finished emptying the bottle of Old Abe's Butterbeer into his goblet.

"She didn't even have the politeness to use magic." Theo grumbled as he picked up the goblet that had been waiting for him and took a sip. "Dirigible Plum cordial, nicely chilled too."

"You always order it, so I thought I may as well save some time." Draco shrugged. "I got you a carafe of it."

Theo glanced at the jug in question, noting the condensation beading on the sides. "…thanks."

"You're welcome." Draco chuckled, then he lowered his goblet. I have already placed my order, so make your choice, then we can talk."

.

"So, what did you want me for?" Theo asked once the door had shut behind Marietta once again.

"I wanted to consult with you about Warding." Draco said, his levity vanishing. "I need to know if an idea I have is… possible."

"What, _wearable_ Wardstones?" Theo snorted, then he froze as he saw Draco's expression. "Wearable Wardstones? _Really_?"

"Really." Draco confirmed. "Explain why it cannot be done."

Theo took a sip of his cordial as he arranged his thoughts. "Well, first of all, you need to define the area of a Ward. How far it stretches, its shape… it's why most Wards are generally spherical or ovoid. It's easier to calculate where the Wardstone should be with those shapes…"

"What about cylindrical?"

"…doable, but you'd leave the upper and lower ends open." Theo mused. "You'd need extra projection definition arrays to close off the ends and the flat bit at the top would be the weak point, but… it's possible. Planning on doing a close-in Ward on a tower? Come to think of it, you could probably put a hemisphere at the top, that would work…"

"And can you blend Wards?" Draco pressed. "Have it so that when they intersect, they _merge_ rather than clash?"

"You'd need to tune them." Theo shook his head. "I mean, sure, it's possible and Gatehouse Wards use just that, but… that's tricky stuff."

"What about Absorption Arrays?"

"As Wards?" Theo scoffed. "Hell, no. Not possible. Absorption Arrays have limited range measured in _inches_. They're put onto Wardstones to help protect them against direct magical attack and to boost the rate of charge, but as a protective Ward in their own right? Not unless you have a whole chain of Wardstones around your property and even then, people could just fire spells over the top."

"I see." Draco mused. "Are they directional?"

"…yes." Theo finally answered. "What are you getting at here, Draco?"

"If I wanted a gauntlet that could fire a Banishing spell, how would I be best doing that?"

"A gem engraved with the runic spell matrix would be best and if you put it in the middle of your palm, you should be able to aim it easily." Theo paused. "Huh, put an Absorption Array on a gauntlet along with a magic reservoir and you'd be able to not only block spells, but use the energy to counter-attack with minimal cost. That's cunning… the Aurors would love that."

"It's certainly an interesting concept." Draco agreed, keeping his annoyance out of his expression and voice. "I'll make sure you get part of the profits of it."

"Huh. Thanks." Theo managed. "So, what else did you wish to ask about?"

* * *

.

The secret door to Draco's hidden lab closed and he snarled.

"I underestimated him! He got too close to figuring out my plan and I'm going to have to give the Aurors a weapon that they may be able to use against me!"

Stamping through the hidden workshop, he came to a stop by the partially-assembled suit of armor hanging on a stand. "At least he confirmed that my idea will work. Once I apply the absorption arrays on the outside, any magical spell fired at me will simply power my own attacks."

A thought struck him and Draco grinned almost mirthlessly. "And if I apply the same thing to my minions umbrellas, they'll be able to shoot back even as they shield me. Their inability to do complex casting won't matter. Give those gloves that Theodore suggested to Pansy and I will be able to hide my own skills should we be attacked since all attention will be diverted to my bodyguards."

Stepping back, Draco gave the armor a long, satisfied look.

"Soon I will finally be a match for Potter, and then I will exceed him!"


	2. Into The New World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a piece intended to show that not all advances came from Evans Enterprises as well as showing that at least one piece of research mentioned by Draco Malfoy in A Challenge Unexpected came to fruition.  
> It was also meant to show how competition between the three main companies helped new arrivals to the Magical World.

A gentle chime sounded as the three entered the reception area of the Hotel and the man behind the desk looked at them with a welcoming smile.

"Good morning and welcome to the Lily's Rest Hotel. Do you have a reservation?"

The newcomers looked at each other, the adults with slight expressions of worry that despite all that they had been shown, the whole thing was a hoax while their son grinned with eagerness.

"Go ahead." The father finally sighed and the boy pulled out a folded sheet of parchment. Scampering up to the desk, he handed it over and the receptionist opened it.

"Ah, the Farfields family. Miss Weasley has been waiting to escort you. One moment, please?"

The family watched as the man tapped on the screen in front of him and a moment later, a voice came from it.

" _Kieran, are they there?"_

"I was about to send them through." The receptionist nodded, then tapped the screen again before holding out a pair of medallions. "Please head through that door. If you can't see it…"

"There's a door there?" Mr Farfield asked in confusion, his wife looking just as lost while their son rolled his eyes.

"How do you not see it?" He burst out. "It's _right there_!"

Kieran cleared his throat to catch their attention. "Sir, Ma'am, since you cannot see the door, please put these medallions on. They will key you into the protective wards and let you see past the illusion."

"Seems odd to me." The father grumbled as he accepted the medallion, then he stared in shock. "Where did that door come from?"

"Da-aaad!" His son groaned as the mother accepted her medallion in turn. "Let's go! I want to get my stuff!"

Mr Farfield finally donned the amulet, still staring at the door in a manner similar to how one would stare at a large snake, but his son wasn't anywhere nearly as restrained, darting forwards and pulling the door open.

"Harold! Wait!"

Ignoring his father's call, Harold stepped through, looking round eagerly, then slumping.

"Awwwww, it looks just like the other room…"

A gentle laugh caught his attention and he turned to see a red-headed woman smiling at him. "This is still part of the hotel, you know."

"But… magic?" Harold managed not to whine as he looked round at the fairly mundane room, then he blinked as one of the pictures on the wall waved at him. "Wooooooowwwwww…"

"I'm Ginny Weasley and I'll be your guide today." The woman introduced herself to Harold's parents, who had finally entered the room behind their son. "Do you have the list of items you'll need?"

"I have it!" Harold pulled it out of his pocket and waved it. "Professor Vector said that the… the… what was it?"

"That several subjects were being sponsored by different companies and so the items are effectively free." Mr Farfield finally spoke.

"That's true." Ginny nodded. "Evans Enterprises, whom I work for, sponsors Defence Against The Dark Arts, Blackwolf Industries covers Charms and Transfiguration while White Wing Artificers provides for Potions and Herbology. For those subjects, all necessary books and materials are provided to students free of charge."

"That sounds… expensive." Mrs Farfield managed and Ginny laughed again.

"Mrs Farfield, Magical England has about as many people in it as a single large town. When I enrolled in Hogwarts, there were maybe forty others in my year. While the numbers have grown, this year is still less than a hundred all told."

"That is less than I thought." Harold's father admitted. "So… how do we get to where we need to go?"

"Simple, we go out through the doors." Ginny waved for them to follow her. "Even five years ago, we would have used Switching Rooms, but White Wing Artificers created Doors to link distant places in a single step. You can't see it, but this room is bisected by a Door. It used to be a Switching Room, but installing a Door, albeit a very large one, made things easier since we no longer have to worry about closing all the doors to trigger the switch. So, this way out and… welcome to the Magical World."

Harold froze in the doorway, his eyes wide as he watched a bow-carrying Centaur pace past, deep in conversation with a Wizard who was carrying a staff. A group of goblins scurried past in another direction, their armour clattering as they escorted a floating container secured with a large number of chains and locks. In the middle of the huge sunken atrium was a large, raised fountain which had several panes of what looked like glass set into the sides, allowing the merfolk to look out at the area around them, then one of the panes seemed to ripple as a witch stepped out, pulling out a wand to dry off her robes and dismiss the silvery bubble encasing her head.

"Whoah…"

Harold finally stumbled forwards, his head turning rapidly as he tried to take in everything around him.

"This atrium seems rather… open." Mr Farfield finally managed as he nodded to the large archway located where, in a normal atrium, the entrance doors would be. Beyond the archway was a large, grassy plain bounded with a rocky wall.

"This is the Tegg's Nose Cavern." Ginny guided them towards the exit. "It has been magically expanded to many times its original size and is now the largest wizarding settlement in Britain. It has special Arches that connect it to the original shopping area Diagon Alley as well as the _second_ -largest wizarding settlement, Hogsmeade Village. At the end, you can see the archway leading to Regulus Park, a magical theme park that is larger than Alton Towers and located in the tropics."

All three newcomers turned to look at what seemed to be a cave mouth almost fifty feet tall and across, an opening bridged by several walkways at various heights that connected to a tower that stretched from the floor to the apex of the opening.

"Now, let's begin by converting some money and then getting you your wand, shall we?" Ginny prompted. "The best place to get your first Wand is Ollivanders. Unlike many other companies, he has chosen not to expand to Tegg's Nose, meaning that we will need to go through the Arch over there to reach Diagon."

Once again, the trio followed Ginny's motion, their gaze coming to rest on a large free-standing archway engraved with a feather-effect and through which a cobblestone alley could be seen.

"Awesome…" Harold breathed in awe.

"First, though, Gringotts has a kiosk over here for exchanging pounds for Galleons."

* * *

.

"Ah, Miss Weasley." Ollivander stepped out of the corner of his shop, causing the three Farfields to jump in shock. "Yew and Dragon Heartstring, eleven and three-quarter inches. Welcome back. I see you have brought me a new customer. Do you have your Hogwarts letter?"

Blinking nervously, Harold proffered the parchment in question and Ollivander nodded.

"Excellent. Well, your first Wand is already paid for thanks to Lord Potter, so let's get started, shall we?"

Ollivander pulled out a tape measure as Harold's mother edged over to Ginny.

"Already paid for by Lord Potter?"

"He owns Evans Enterprises." Ginny whispered back. "A Wand is needed for many things, including DADA… Defense Against The Dark Arts."

Mrs Falfield nodded in understanding, then stared in shock at the tape measure, which was moving by itself as it continued to measure Harold by itself.

"Yes, I think that should do." Ollivander stated as he reappeared with several boxes. "I think one of these should work, so let's see which one wants to be your wand, shall we? After all, the wand chooses the wizard, you know. Here, Elm and unicorn hair, thirteen inches. Give it a swish."

Harold waved the wand and a chair in the corner suddenly collapsed.

"Hmmm, not that one, I think." Ollivander plucked the wand from Harold's fingers and returned it to its box before proffering another. "Willow and Dragon Heartstring, twelve inches."

.

"Excellent!" Ollivander clapped as a shower of sparks rose into the air before slowly descending. "Apple and Dragon Heartstring, twelve and a half inches. Look after that wand and it will look after you!"

"May I suggest a holster?" Ginny suggested as she finished repairing the broken shelves, then she held out her arm so that the others could watch as her wand slid smoothly into a holster apparently far too small to hold it. "Putting it in a pocket may seem to work, but it's too easy to break if you do that. A basic holster…"

"Oh, indeed!" Ollivander agreed, darting to the counter and pulling out a display tray filled with holsters. "Here I have some basic leather holsters that are large enough to hold the wand, but small enough so it doesn't get in the way. You can strap it on your arm or wear it on your belt, only twelve sickles."

Harold stared pleadingly at his parents, who exchanged a glance before nodding.

* * *

.

"I'm hungry." Harold moaned as they stepped through the Arch from Diagon back to Tegg's Nose.

"There are quite a few places to get food around here. There are several sandwich kiosks, a noodle place that you can select whatever you want and they'll cook it in front of you, a MageDonalds…"

"A _what_?" Mr Farfield interrupted.

"A MageDonalds." Ginny repeated. "It's a McDonalds that caters to Magicals. There's also the Platter places which are pretty good. The Owl's Platter is more of a takeaway place with some seating while the Eagle's Platter is a pretty good restaurant which I would recommend you try when you have some free time. The Peacock's Platter is regarded as _the_ best restaurant in Magical Britain and possibly all of Magical Europe, but it has prices to match. Unless you have at least a million Galleons in your vault, you probably can't afford to eat there. I've only eaten there once and when I managed to catch sight of the bill…"

Ginny broke off with a shudder.

"Can we try the MageDonalds?" Harold asked eagerly, causing his parents to chuckle.

.

"What's with those walkways?" Mr Farfield asked as his son happily slurped the extra-large milkshake that he had asked for. "I've been looking and I don't see any handrails. Is that safe?"

"It is." Ginny explained as she wiped the last bit of barbecue sauce from her lips. "The walkways have runic arrays that reverse the momentum of anyone heading over the edge, pushing them back onto the walkways. The circular areas are broomstick launching platforms that have similar arrays, but ones that don't activate if the person in question is on a broomstick or using a Flight Set. If you want to go up for a closer look, there's a lift-shaft over there."

"Ahhh, thanks but… are you sure it's safe?" Harold's father asked after looking at the nearest tall cylinder of light that rose to the ceiling with several walkways circling it.

"I've used them quite a bit." Ginny reassured him as a Wizard stepped into the cylinder and rose into the air. "They're actually split into an up and a down side as indicated by the edge of the walkway and the vertical speed is about two feet per second. You also slow down as you reach each level, allowing you to simply step onto the walkway. It's actually quite fun, once you get over the whole _stepping off the edge_ nervousness."

"I can see how that could be an issue." Mrs Farfield admitted. "Is that person using one of those flight sets you mentioned?"

"That's an Auror." Ginny noted as she looked up. "Aurors have special Flight Sets that can move twice as fast as civilian versions."

"Makes sense." Mr Farfield noted. "You don't want criminals to be able to escape, after all."

"I wanna be an Auror!" Harold gasped as he watched the Witch in question fly past.

"You'll need to study hard." Ginny noted, nodding to the bag slung over Harold's shoulder, the bag containing his new school trunk and the various textbooks they had collected. "You need to reach at least Exceeds Expectations in your NEWTs before you can hope to be an Auror."

"I'll study really hard!" Harold vowed.


	3. Info - Magical Companies

**BlackWolf Industries**

.

Created by order of Lord Sirius Black with the aid of his friend Remus Lupin, BlackWolf Industries is the Black Family's answer to Evans Enterprises. Unlike Evans Enterprises which invests heavily in infrastructure and services, BlackWolf Industries has gone more for the consumables market, seeking to invest in pubs, restaurants, clothing firms and other such businesses. It even holds a share in the Hogshead pub in Hogsmead and paid for the pub's renovation/expansion.  
During its formation, BlackWolf managed to acquire several of the shops and hotels previously supported by EvEn, giving it a firm foothold in Hogsmead, Tegg's Nose and Diagon Alley.  
BlackWolf has also made significant inroads into the publishing business, although a large minority of their literature/magazine business relies on ( _ahem_ ) adult publications such as PlayWitch. Oddly, since being acquired by BlackWolf, PlayWitch has become surprisingly well-known for their articles which cover many topics of interest to the Wizarding World, topics covered in-depth and with a list of source materials to allow for fact-checking. Their explanation on the perils of inbreeding (using a business which bred Abraxans as a reference) has sent shock-waves through the Pureblood portion of the Wizarding World.  
While seen as a competitor with EvEn in the areas where they overlap, most are unaware that the two companies use their "rivalry" to help push magitech products designed to covertly advance the Wizarding World's way of life.

.  
 **Owned companies**

The **Marauders Den** is a nightclub that also serves food. Although officially catering for all ages, it is a popular place for teenagers thanks to the special security spells in place that dampen cast magic and monitor food and drinks in order to prevent spiking. Anyone trying to fight is promptly frozen in place until a staff member can resolve the situation, meaning that parents have come to see the club as a harmless way for teenagers to burn off energy safely. Many of the staff are wolf Animagi, the result of them undergoing the cure for the Werewolf curse.

* * *

.

**Evans Enterprises**

.

A company created by Jor-El to assist in ensuring the best possible life for his Master, Evans Enterprises is a company which operates in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. In the Muggle World, EvEn is the vector for the slow and covert introduction of Kryptonian technological concepts, most notably in the fields of Communications and Computing. Jor-El has managed to recruit several Muggleborns who chose to abandon the Wizarding World, using them as the public faces of EvEn during its interactions with other companies.  
On the Magical side, Jor-El originally relied primarily on Remus Lupin and Sirius Black to oversee the various projects which are designed to slowly bring the Wizarding World up to date but has now located and hired several Muggleborns to take over said duties. Most of the limited product lines use both Magic and Technology, the latter modified to work perfectly in high-magic environments that would normally cause delicate electronics to short out.  
The phone system installed in Hogwarts (and the houses of several of the more modern Wizarding families) connect via switching micro-spheres to a central server, the optically-transparent centimeter-wide crown-glass spheres instantaneously switching at twenty thousand million times per second for the primary servers, thus allowing for uninterrupted high-speed light-based data transfer without the need for cables or transmissions that could be intercepted. For the actual phones and secondary servers, the switch-rate is a mere fifty-thousand times per second which takes up a mere fraction of a percentage of the magical energy of the primary links without degrading the dataflow in any way that the users can detect.  
Due to the power requirements for the switching spell, a dedicated Mage-reactor has been constructed for the server and its switch-links with additional reactors planned to allow for the use of multiple servers. Each reactor can maintain up to a hundred and twelve primary switch-links (plus or minus five due to molecular differences in the construction of the reactors) or over half a million secondary switch-links while still supplying the needed power to the server itself.  
If a Magical using a phone wishes to contact a non-magical, 684453 (MUGGLE) must be entered before the desired number. Conversely, if a Muggle wishes to contact a specific Magical, they must use the prefix 62442 (MAGIC) to access the magical portion of the telephone network. In either case, the user must be registered to access that particular function.  
 **.**

**Owned Companies**

**Kitsune Broadcasting** is a wholly-owned Evans Enterprises subsidiary which acts in partnership with the American News Company and the British Broadcasting Corporation to bring programs into the Magical World. It has a large studio complex on the upper part of the cavern wall opposite the DMLE, a position which also gives it an excellent view of the James Potter Memorial Quidditch Pitch.

**Tanuki Tools** is a company which specializes in magic-compatible computers and linked paraphernalia. A fairly recently established company, it supplies Kitsune Broadcasting with the majority of its equipment but has made enormous inroads in the home-computer and home-entertainment market.

**Lily's Rest** is one of the hotels that Evans Industries owns and is notable in that it operates in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. With branches across the country, it makes it far easier for the families of Muggleborn to access the Wizarding World, thus increasing the potential markets available to the other companies.

**Cavern Domociles** is the company which oversaw the re-opening of Tegg's Nose and the selling/letting of the various properties therein. While it still holds some of the rights to the commercial areas, its mandate was to move as many properties as possible into private hands to encourage economic growth and social responsibility.

**Magic Staff Shoppe** is, just as the name suggests, a shop devoted to the selling and use of Magic Staffs. Employing retired Cursebreakers, it was founded in response to the Hogwarts Liberation, where Voldemort erected an anti-Wand Ward. The shop makes Magic Staffs and has an attached training hall for learning how to use them. Lessons for a nominal fee are given to anyone who works for Gringotts, which the Goblins approve of as it means that they do not have to spend that money themselves.

* * *

.

**White Wing Artificers**

.

Owned and run by the Malfoy family, White Wing Artificers are represented by the picture of a Peacock in profile with its wings slightly raised. The company was created at the behest of Draco Malfoy as a way to boost the Malfoy fortune and attempt to reclaim the position of Wealthiest Family from the House of Potter, but it has become significantly more.  
Although originally intended to cater to the Pureblood market, WWA quickly noted that the changing nature of Wizarding Society meant that not only had more markets opened up (such as Vampires and those who had once been Werewolves), the so-called lower classes were also accumulating more money that they could spend. As a result of this, WWA quickly adopted a new position, creating a sub-department for each social strata.  
As a result of the carefully-targeted business strategy, the Malfoy Family have prevented the Black Family from claiming the position of second-wealthiest family in the Wizarding World and several rumors indicate that WWA is carefully looking at expanding into the Muggle world with the potential profits it could bring.  
.

**Owned Companies**

The **Peacock's Feather** is a bespoke tailoring service which specializes in clothing made from Acromantula Silk or other (finer) fabrics. Customers to the shop are only allowed in if they are regarded as being rich (or the head of an Ancient House) and free refreshments are provided as a matter of course. To be a patron of the Peacock's Feather is seen as being a mark of civilized superiority and the Peacock's Feather is known for producing the most comfortable yet elegant Wizengamot Robes of any tailor.  
In an unusual turn of events, Lord Hagrid is their best advertisement for the Wizengamot Robes as he had his own made there and was happy to tell anyone who asked where he got them from. As such, Hagrid has unwittingly gained a (very unofficial) discount for repairs and replacements of his official robes.

The **Peacock's Platter** is the most expensive restaurant in Tegg's Nose Cavern and every part of its public-area decoration is hand-made. Although the magelights themselves were sourced from Evans Enterprises, their casings were custom-built specifically for the restaurant. With all food created not by magic but by carefully-trained chefs and served by proper waiters rather than House-elves, the price of a meal at the Peacock's Platter is very high, although the care taken over the food means that the quality is unrivaled. Like the Peacock's Feather, the restaurant is attached to…

The **Peacock's Nest** is a social club which has an unrivaled members-only library covering law, social history, social customs (both in the UK and abroad), recipes and many other subjects. This is only one of the many points it uses in its low-key advertising, it also has a Gringott's Goblin available to give financial advice, an in-house lawyer for legal consultations, a games room and drawing room for various contests and discussions, a dedicated Quidditch room with a custom plus-size display table, private meeting rooms with state-of-the-art security spells for guaranteed privacy, bedrooms for overnight stays and even a small private clinic.  
The fees are high enough that any would-be-member is vetted for future earning potential, those who prefer to simply coast by on their inheritances are politely refused admission should they try to apply.  
Security is provided by a nest of Vampires whose contract includes not only as much cloned blood as they want but also the right to drink from anyone who tries to instigate violence on the premises, a fact which is made known to prospective members and which results in a very collegial atmosphere. Some of the waiters/waitresses are also vampires (with a couple of Veela as well) and there is a quiet, long-running joke that the lawyer is a vampire too.

The **Peacocks Ring** is a jewelry store that actually caters to most levels of society, selling everything from plain, un-ornamented gold alloy rings to goblin-made items complete with Clan-hold rights (where the clan of the artificer in question accepts the sale is done by human terms rather than the "return to makers clan upon holders death" custom that the Goblins usually follow). Custom items can be commissioned for a fee and enchantments can be added to items upon request.

The **Eagle's Feather** (with the name hinting at its customers receiving high-security letters from Gringott's) is a clothes shop aimed at the middle and upper-middle classes, especially those who seek to pursue further upwards social mobility. The designs are either very traditional or on the cutting edge of fashion and although the fabrics used are generally things like leather, wool and cotton, the styling of the clothes is very smart and sturdy enough that a single robe may be used by three or four generations with only minimal repairs. For a small fee, the clothes can be adjusted for a better fit.  
Hogwarts Professors get a discount for their Robes in exchange for the Eagle's Feather's right to place a small sign in the window stating that the Professors are patrons of the Eagle's Feather. Once again, Hagrid has been quietly given a further discount because he has unwittingly acted as a good-natured advertisement for the shop.

The **Eagle's Platter** is a restaurant aimed at those seeking good quality food without having to drain their vaults. House-elves help in the kitchens, although the food is brought to the table by actual waiters and waitresses who also check on the progress of the meal.  
One of the more popular dishes is the _Groundskeeper's Platter_ , a shareable meal large enough that it can feed an entire family of four, or one hungry half-giant.

The **Owl's Feather** caters for those who want clothes that look good (or at least smart) but who do not have enough coin to go to the other two shops. The clothes are generally mass-produced to standardized designs and do not have the option for personalized tailoring, but they are sturdy and comfortable to wear. As such, it is not unknown for patrons of the Peacock's Feather to pop into the Owl's Feather in order to pick up something that they can wear as they pursue hobbies such as engraving, painting, potions research or anything else which may make a mess.

The **Owl's Platter** is technically a restaurant, although it is more accurate to describe it as a takeaway with some seats. The food is generally fairly plain, albeit cheap, nourishing and filling. They offer takeaway boxes which hold the food inside for up to a full day in stasis until the box is opened, breaking the spell.

The **Padded Perch** is a camping shop that sells Wizarding tents of various sizes and configurations. It also has a large range of camping equipment including both Muggle and Muggle-inspired items designed to make the camping trip as comfortable as possible. In a superb case of fore-planning, it is located beside the Tegg's Nose campground.

The **Snidget's Feather** is a Broomstick store which prides itself on having the largest range of broomsticks of any store as well as staff who are trained in the differences between different lines. The store itself has a section for each Broomstick company's product range and an area at the back where Broomsticks can be repaired, tuned or upgraded. However, the Snidget's Feather does not create custom brooms, although it holds a list of artificers who do. The shop is attached to…

The **Snidget's Perch** is a shop dedicated to everything Quidditch, bar Broomsticks (which are located in the Snidget's Feather). The shop holds everything from Quidditch pads to temporary shrinkable seating and collapsible goal-hoops. It also boasts Quidditch Tables and a constantly-updated roster of models for use with them. While it does not itself partake in actually building Quidditch pitches, it does supply a list (with contact methods) of companies capable of undertaking the requested construction projects.

**Dragonguard Warding** is a recently formed company specializing in protective wards. With a huge supply of MageQuartz for use in Warding Stones, DW can undercut other Warding companies and pursues aggressive research into alternate methods of Warding. One of their greatest successes is the Modular Wardstones, rune-engraved Mage-Quartz tiles that are slotted into pre-assembled frameworks, thus allowing the Wards to be installed, modified and even totally rebuilt less than an hour.

The **M.E.R.L.I.N Network** (or _Malfoy Educational Regional, Local and International News_ Network) is a broadcasting organisation founded and owned by the Malfoy Family.  
MERLIN is publicly known to be politically neutral with editorial control specifically being separated from ownership. This means that unlike the Prophet, the Ministry of Magic cannot dictate what is reported, thus ensuring that MERLIN is seen by the general public as a trustworthy news reporting organisation.  
MERLIN Network was founded during the Tri-Wizard Tournament and covered the Second and Third Tasks with a level of impartiality that won it a significant audience across Europe. Although starting out as a Magevision channel, it quickly diversified into radio and newspapers, becoming so popular that the Daily Prophet was forced to instigate a full review of how it reported news in order to remain viable.  
The impartiality of MERLIN Network has led to it highlighting several cases of corruption in some of the companies under the umbrella of White Wing Artificers. Although this could be seen as bad news for the WWA, the fact that MERLIN Network was able to report those issues without being forced to retract the stories or apologize has led to MERLIN being seen as _the_ most trustworthy News Organisation in the United Kingdom's Wizarding World.  
One fact which had led to some bemusement is that the MERLIN Network also reports on events occurring in the Muggle world. Although many viewers professed to not understand why such things were newsworthy, those who interact with the Muggle World tend to pay almost religious attention to the news reports in question as they can help the viewers avoid situations that could easily result in a panicked call to the Obliviators.

* * *

.

**Regulus Park**

Located on one of the islands owned (and hidden from Muggles) by the Black Family during their heyday, the Island's original name has been forgotten and it is now known as Regulas Park, named after the younger brother of Sirius Black who sacrificed himself in an attempt to negate Voldemort's immortality via the use of Soul Anchors.  
Regulas Park is a large island that has been subdivided into different areas, each with their own theme. The water park, for instance, hosts a colony of Merfolk who oversee the general maintenance of the waterways while the Centaurs patrol the forests.  
The main entrance to Regulas Park is via a Switching Room located in Hogsmeade and a similar one linking to Tegg's Nose as well as a full-size Marina for those who prefer to ride the ocean waves. Other ways into the park include the Lily's Rest hotel chain and the Peacock's Rest which connects to the restricted formal garden known as the Peacock's Range.  
Due to the costs involved, Blackwolf Industries approached Evans Enterprises, White Wing Artificers and the three most well-known Broomstick companies to offer them a chance to invest and profit from the island park. All of the approached organisations agreed to help and so the first true Wizarding Theme Park was opened.  
Most of the park is covered by special Wards that limit the use of broomsticks and Apparition (due to health and safety concerns), although the Quidditch Pitch and the Broomstick Race-track are notable exceptions to that. More subtle wards negate the casting of harmful spells and runic arrays in the water areas constantly scan for anyone close to drowning, whereupon they enchant that person's swimwear into becoming a Portkey that takes them to the nearby medbay.  
While most visitors have to pay to enter, those who are members of the Peacock's Nest get free entry for themselves and their immediate families. The actual costs are folded into their membership fees.  
Regulas Park is notable for having both a Merfolk colony and a Centaur Herd living on the island. The Merfolk are primarily in charge of the water park areas (providing both lifeguards and underwater maintenance) whilst the Centaurs help look after the various green areas around the island and provide visible security patrols. Rumors that a Veela Colony is considering moving to the Park remain unconfirmed.  
Regulas Park is connected to and officially owns the fairground near Hogwarts known as Hogsmeade Park.

.

**Hogsmeade Park**

Hogsmeade Park is a fairground area located just above Hogsmeade itself. The Park has several food stalls (including a MageDonalds) and a number of rides that cost a couple of knuts per rider (or the showing of a 1-day pass costing a Sickle).  
Most of the rides at Hogsmeade Park would be perfectly recognizable to Muggles and have been picked for their compact size and ease of maintenance.

* * *

.

**The Slug Club**

The Slug Club was opened by Potions Master Horace Slughorn after his second retirement from Hogwarts (which coincided with Lord Potter finishing his OWLs and leaving to run Evans Enterprises full-time). Soon after his retirement, he sold his Apothecary and opened the Slug Club which was located in a specially-constructed building connected to (and adjacent to the upper part of) the Peacock's Nest in the Tegg's Nose Cavern.

The Slug Club is officially an invitation-only club, although holders of the Order of Merlin are always welcome to visit and treated as honored guests if they do. The food supplied is sourced from the Eagle's Platter kitchens, although once a month, the Peacock's Platter provides supplies for one of Horace's regular gatherings.

The Slug Club is housed in an apparently unassuming building which only reveals the care and attention that went into its construction upon closer inspection. The brick façade was created from bricks taken Horace's old home which he no longer needed since he now lives in a private (and incredibly well-protected) apartment set just above the Slug Club itself. The apartment includes all of Horace's furniture and furnishings from his old house, but every item has been restored to pristine condition.

The Slug Club itself has a large entrance hall which also doubles as a general social gathering space, a secondary hall (designed to be perfect for dancing, watching plays and listening to music) as well as a set of smaller rooms including a study where Horace enjoys passing time with favored guests and a display room where Slug Club members have donated treasured items for display in glass-fronted bookcases and glass-sided stands. Chief among the exhibits are the broken pieces of Lord Potter's first wand, displayed on a small cushion that floats in front of a mannequin clad in the battle robes that Lord Potter was clad in when he dueled Lockhart.

The main six-sided hall has a large portrait of Horace Slughorn smiling benevolently down from the wall opposite the entrance and smaller portraits of notable Slug Club members arranged round it and across the two adjacent walls. Those in the know are fully aware that the size of the portraits gives a very accurate idea as to how Horace views the relative social and economic importance of the portraitees while their positioning (which subtly changes each week) shows how much Horace values them in relative terms. The two portraits permanently flanking Horace's are Lord Draco Malfoy and Lord Harry Potter. Rumors indicate that Lord Potter funded the Slug Club's reformation and Lord Malfoy responded by supplying the location for the club and granting Slughorn one of the incredibly rare Emeritus Memberships of the Peacock's Nest, making him a member without needing to pay the usual costs.

While the walls of the main Hall are a rich golden color, the wall to the left of the entrance is the exception, being made of a dark wood and the portraits hanging on it are those of deceased members of the Slug Club whom Horace makes a point of honoring. To the surprise of many, one of the portraits is Albus Dumbledore, who tends to pop in regularly from his other portrait frame in Hogwarts.

Membership of the Slug Club is seen as being a point of pride, having proven that one has come to the positive attention of the movers and shakers of the Wizarding World. Invitations to join are rare and there is no record of anyone choosing to decline. While being of an old family line is still (just about) enough to get an invitation via Owl Post, Horace makes a point of publicly extending offers in person to those who are working to improve Wizarding society.


	4. A Slug's Life

As the servers on loan from the Peacock's Platter unobtrusively removed the dishes that had held the main course of the banquet in preparation for the presentation of the desserts, Horace turned to look at the dark-haired young man sitting to his right.

"I heard that you helped to prevent some… unpleasantness over in America a few months ago." He prompted.

"He did." Lord Malfoy noted from his seat on Horace's left. "Apparently, there _is_ life on other planets and some of it tried to invade. The Muggles already had their own team on site, but Harry took his own to give them a hand."

"And I heard that you had some _obscurials_ on your team." Horace noted blandly, then he raised an inquisitive eyebrow as Harry shook his head.

" _Obscurials_ are those who cannot control their magic. The five who helped to fend off the invasion have full control of their powers and are helping others to learn to do the same. They are not _Obscurials_ , they are _Inlumians_."

"Beings of light." Horace mused. "Fascinating…"

"To change the subject," Harry nodded slightly towards the table in the corner where several people were holding an animated discussion. "Who's the newest one? She sort-of looks familiar…"

"That would be Astoria Greengrass." Draco supplied. "Currently the youngest Potions Mistress in the country. By the way, that medical-arch your company donated to St Mungo's? It saved her life. It let them identify not only the blood-curse that was weakening her, but also the genetic disorder that was both hiding and amplifying the curse. Pure-magic scans wouldn't have been able to pick it up. The treatment was expensive, but I got a new researcher out of it, so I was happy to meet the costs."

"Her most recent project was one that I found quite useful." Horace admitted as the first of the many and varied desserts were placed on the table before them. "Despite all that potions like Skelegrow could do, my arthritis was beginning to slow me down, but after she formulated a version that also regrew the cartilege that had worn away over time… I haven't felt so mobile in over a decade! Ooh, Chocolate Roulade!"

.

With the meal an hour past and the vast majority of the guests departed to spend the rest of Christmas Eve with their own families, Horace strolled through the large display room, pausing to look at various exhibits.

"Aren't you afraid that someone will try to steal some of this?" A voice asked from the door and Horace half-turned to smile at the dour man who had spoken.

"Oh, not one bit, my dear Severus." He replied, pausing to take a sip of the glass of brandy that he held. "These display stands were donated to me by Lord Potter, they're made of Spellglass and Adamantium. You would have to destroy the entire building in order to break these displays."

With a swirl of his cloak, Professor Snape glided across to stand by Horace, who was looking at a very familiar broken wand on a floating cushion.

"I _still_ haven't managed to work out how Potter does that Atlantean magic of his." The teacher half-grumbled. "Lord Longbottom and I have been working on it for almost three years now, using fragmented notes that somehow survived the suppression of non-wanded magic. The closest we've got to it… let me show you."

Horace watched as Severus held both hands out, then he brought them together before pulling them apart, a writhing thread of golden magic bridging the gap for a moment before it flickered out of existence.

"Great Merlin! What was that?"

Severus wiped his brow. "Difficult. There are references to a near-legendary place where even muggles can use magic, a place called Tammarj-An… or something like that. Once I finish training my replacement, I intend to take a sabbatical and try to find it."

"I look forwards to hearing the tale of your quest." Horace replied.

"I look forwards to telling it to you." Snape returned, a small twitch indicating that had he been anyone else, he would have been smiling. For a long moment, the two men stood in silence, then Snape looked past Horace. "What is the story behind that?"

Horace blinked, then he followed Snape's gaze to a large picture showing a variety of animals in what seemed to be a forest clearing. The animals were in an arc surrounding a large white dog that Snape instantly recognized and a smaller reddish animal that bore some resemblance to a stoat.

"Oh, I am very proud of that picture." Horace nodded, moving closer to the picture. "Did you know that I am also an Animagus now? Young Harry was the one who helped me with the ritual."

"That animal… is you?" Severus asked, looking closer at the animal and Horace nodded.

"Oh yes. I am a Polecat, you know. A red polecat, although my grey hairs are sadly still showing in that form. On cold nights, it is very nice to curl up in a heated basket in front of the fire. Things like chicken and goose also seem to taste better."

"Ever since that ritual was introduced, there has been a rather impressive increase in Animagi." Severus noted and Horace gave him a knowing look. "What?"

"Nothing. Nothing." Horace waved away Severus' query. "I know that you have no interest in trying the ritual for yourself."

The taller man gave his elder a long, suspicious look, then turned back to look at the picture.

* * *

.

"Sir Slughorn. Welcome!" the pretty witch at the reception smiled at Horace. "Merry Christmas!"

"And the same to you, my dear." Horace replied jovially, his prodigious memory for names and faces allowing him to recognize her. "How is your brother doing? He's in his third year, isn't he?"

"He is and he's in the top three at Hogwarts." The witch smiled happily, obviously pleased that someone as famous as Horace was taking an interest in her and her family.

"He is obviously trying to live up to your example, my dear." Horace replied, taking her hand and lightly kissing it.

"Are you trying to steal my employees?" An amused voice asked and Horace brightened as he turned.

"Narcissa! I see that you are still as beautiful as always."

With a small laugh, the former Malfoy Regent glided forwards, taking Horace's offered arm and guiding him to the Drawing Room where Horace knew that a tumbler of his favorite tipple was no doubt waiting for him.

"You really shouldn't try to flatter me like that." She jokingly scolded and Horace adopted a look of confused innocence.

"But how can the truth _possibly_ count as flattery?"

Narcissa's musical laugh caused Horace to smile as they crossed the entrance hall.

"I see that the Peacock's Nest is doing well." He noted as they passed a new statue in a previously-empty nook, a statue that nodded to them in greeting.

"We have a new artist in residence." Narcissa noted. "He's incredibly gifted, I've already commissioned a Portrait from him."

"Really?" Horace raised a quizzical eyebrow. "If I had not already had a Portrait of my own created for me, I would indeed be interested. If he has earned his way into working here, he must be truly incredible."

"Having him on staff was quite the triumph for us." Narcissa demurely gloated as they came to a stop by the comfortable armchair that had been designed and constructed specifically for Horace. Noting the small decanter and brandy snifter on the table by the side of the armchair, along with the folded copies of the _Daily Prophet_ and the _Magical Times_ , he half-turned and gave Narcissa a courtly bow, kissing the back of her hand as he did so.

"I am glad to see that you are doing well, my dear." He smiled up at her. "Now, although I would love nothing more than to spend the next few hours talking with you, I fear that your Maître-D is seeking your attention. Do not worry about me, I am sure I'll survive."

Narcissa gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, then glided off to deal with whatever issue needed her attention. As she left, Horace lowered himself into the sinfully-comfortable chair and poured himself a finger-width of brandy before picking up the _Times_. Movement caught his attention and he pressed the embroidered rune that controlled the silencing spell around his chair.

"…ruddy Americans! My grandfather would have sorted out those ten-ring fellas again if he were still around…"

Removing his finger from the rune (and thus re-establishing the silencing field), Horace looked at the headlines of the paper for a clue as to what the Wizengamot member had been grumping about.

* * *

.

Standing on his balcony, Horace looked down at the crowds filling the Tegg's Nose cavern. A giant clock had been projected into the air and Horace watched as the second-hand completed another sweep, causing the minute hand to move closer to midnight.

Although many would have assumed that Horace would be holding another party to see in the new year, the truth was rather different. Horace preferred to be by himself at the end of the year, seeing in the new year alone. Part of it was financial, despite his gifted membership of the Peacock's Nest, hosting more than one official celebration a year would drain his vaults.

The other part was that he had preferred to see in the new year alone, contemplating the year gone by and the year yet to come.

Lifting his goblet, he took a sip from it and that would have been another thing that most people would never have expected since the drink within contained not a single trace of alcohol. Although he did enjoy the expensive beverages he often received, he was not as heavy a drinker as most assumed. While his reputation as a social butterfly and genial drinker was useful, he prized his sharp mind too much to risk clouding it, especially when when others were around. While he could act as if he was a mere few sips shy of inebriation, that was all that it was: an act designed to encourage others to relax around him, making it more likely that they would let slip information that he could hoard until it was time to use it.

The noise of the crowd below suddenly dropped and Horace raised his goblet as the second hand made the final circuit of the year. A huge cheer seemed to shake the cavern and Horace took a sip of the mixed-fruit drink, then tilted the goblet so that he could finish it off.

"Happy new year." He whispered, partially to himself and partially to those who were no longer with him, then he retreated back into his home, the wards and glass blocking out the sounds of the continuing celebrations.

* * *

.

"…and so I was wondering if you knew of anyone who was both medically trained _and_ willing to work with Muggles." Harry finished and Horace leaned back in his armchair, contemplating the request. As he considered the problem presented to him, he let his eyes drift to the gift that Harry had presented to him, a sphere that had accompanied Harry from Atlantis to Earth. The sphere, a small model of the world Atlantis had been located on, floated above a small crystal stand. The information that had once filled it had been extracted and was being used to improve the lives of all witches and wizards, but the sphere itself was a work of art in its own right.

"I can think of a few who may be interested." He finally allowed. "However, the Statute of Secrecy…"

"Already dealt with." Harry waved one hand. "As part of Unit Avalon, I'm helping to put together a group that can act as support staff for the planned teams. The Excaliber Squad is already being trained up while I've been asked to recruit and lead the Galatine Squad."

"What other teams are there?" Horace inquired.

"A couple more. Team Carnwennan is going to be the covert unit while Director Wisdom has asked for aid in recruiting for Team Onlanyhei…"

"Magic users." Horace nodded. "I recognized the old name for Merlin's staff."

"That particular team will come under the aegis of the DMLE." Harry stated, then he chuckled. "Although given that MI-13 already has a presence in our world, I think it'll be far closer to the other squads then the would-be recruits would assume.  
"Other potential teams include Pridwen and Rhongomiant, but neither is in more than purely theoretical at this point."

"Of course," A new voice growled, causing Horace to jolt in shock, "All of this is classified. Lord Potter asked for permission to bring you in as a consultant."

Horace stared at the dark-haired man who had stepped out of the shadows.

"Potions Master Horace Slughorn, meet Director Wisdom of MI-13." Harry smiled and the dour man nodded.

"Consider yourself hired, Potions Master Slughorn." He said. "You will be very well recompensed for your time and I can assure you that we have covered up all traces of _that_ conversation that you had with Tom Riddle."

Horace swallowed nervously at the veiled threat.

"So," Harry prompted, "About those recommendations?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Galatine was the name of Sir Gawain's sword, which was reputed to confer invincibility when exposed to sunlight.  
> It seemed very apt given Harry's Kryptonian heritage…


	5. No Wand Waving

The ebb and flow of humanity merited barely a glance from Severus Snape. Although he missed the feel of his usual robes, his long, voluminous coat combined with the sparring-style wrapped tunic and trousers were close enough that he did not feel unduly discomfited.

Around him, the citizens of Kathmandu went about on their own business. While much of it mattered not at all to the black-haired Wizard, he did not feel any real sense of disgust at the large number of non-magicals around him. Part of that may have been the sheer scale of the city that he had been slowly traversing, although it may also have been the presence of the many temples that were scattered through the bustling metropolis. To the educated eye, many of them showed signs of having been constructed with the aid of magic, albeit via techniques very different from those that were prevalent in the western societies.

After what seemed like an eternity, Snape came to a stop in front of a door that, to the untrained eye, was no different from the thousands of doors that he had passed on his journey. The door, as seen by mortal eyes, was a dark wooden double-door set in a brick wall, yet _something_ about it teased at his senses.

Inhaling deeply, Severus reached out and lightly tapped at the door. As he lowered his hand, the door opened and a robed man waved for him to enter.

“Welcome to Tammaj-An, Severus Snape of Hogwarts. The Ancient One foretold your arrival.”

Severus’ eyes narrowed slightly, but he simply bowed, then stepped through the doorway. The man closed the door behind him, then set off down the corridor that seemed even more _other_ than the door itself had been.

As he walked down the passageway, Severus stretched all of his senses to their limits, trying to divine just what seemed… not _wrong_ , but _different_ about his surroundings.

“Impressive.” A new voice said and Severus’ head snapped round to find a bald woman in saffron robes walking beside him. “For a wand-wielder, you are surprisingly perceptive.”

“I have spent decades researching, creating, brewing and teaching the art of Potions.” Severus replied even as he attempted to analyse his new companion. “Potions Masters come in two varieties. Those who are perceptive, and those who are deceased. The path of potioneering is one which is not forgiving of mistakes... or even simple inattention.”

The woman laughed as they entered a room and the man who had been escorting him simply bowed before backing out of the room. Severus glanced round at the simple-yet-intricate wooden panelling of the room, then the low table in the center, a table upon which a teapot and several small bowls rested.

Taking his cue from the robed woman, Severus sat down in a kneeling position, remaining silent as the woman poured two cups of green tea, passing one to him. Waiting for his host to take a sip from her own cup, Severus carefully tasted his own drink and his eyebrows rose slightly.

“An intriguing blend. Although I am no expert in the intricacies of tea, my own interests being… elsewhere, I can detect… three different types of tea leaves?”

“Four, actually.” The woman smiled. “Well done, though.”

Severus inhaled the rising steam, then took another sip, concentrating on its taste.

“I… can’t identify the fourth one.” He admitted almost ruefully.

The woman took a second sip of her own drink, then lowered it to the table.

“Severus Snape of Hogwarts, why have you come here?”

“To learn.” Severus replied instantly.

“But why?”

Severus paused for a moment, then he tilted his head in query. “Before I answer, may I ask a question of my own?”

“I could say that you just did, but that would not be befitting of my role as your host.” The woman smiled. “What is your question?”

“The way that you managed to sneak up on me… something that very few have ever managed. The fact that the man who opened the door knew my name and the way that he deferred to you… I do not wish to sound insulting, but…”

“You are correct.” The woman gave him a nod of respect. “I am the Ancient One.”

“Then to answer your question, I wish to learn the ways of magic that I do not currently know.” Severus admitted. “One of my former students demonstrated an interesting method of magic which did not use an external foci, only magic itself.”

“This student of yours, what are his names?”

“Harry Potter.” Severus replied, frowning slightly at the unusual phrasing. “Also known as _the Boy Who Lived_ , _The Chosen One_ , _The Man Who Won_ and _The Last Son Of Atlantis_.”

“He is not of Atlantis.” The Ancient One corrected. “He is from Krypton. He is the _child of the stars_.”

“I… have never heard of this _Krypton_.” Severus admitted. “The Dark Lord was convinced that Potter was from Atlantis…”

“I have visited Atlantis and spoken with its ruler, Namor.” The Ancient One paused to take another sip of her tea. “Atlantis resides underneath the waves and is one of the locks which protects Earth from the threat of the beings from _Outside_.”

“… _one_ of the locks?” Severus asked despite himself.

“There are several known locks, each protecting from a different threat.” The Ancient One gave a slight shrug. “We Sorcerers of Tammaj-An protect against the more mystical threats whereas Atlantis and its people wage war against the beings from _below_ that seek to rise from the waves and ravage the land. The warriors of K’un L’un guard against the Fallen Dragons, beings that exist as manifestations of the very concepts of conflict. The Black Panthers of Wakanda patrol the borders of the Spirit Plains, using the skills they honed in life to hold back the Vengeful Dead. The Sleepwalkers stalk the Entities Of Destruction in the Devachanic Realm, which many refer to as the Mindscape, while the Ghost Riders track down and dispatch those that manage to infiltrate the Earth from the Infernal Realms. Each lock is different, yet all are needed to hold back the forces inimical to life here on Earth.”

During her recitation, Severus had felt his already-sallow face pale at the almost off-hand listing of the threats.

“How in Merlin’s name has humanity survived this long?” He finally managed to ask and the Ancient One laughed.

“There are many threats, but they are opposed to each other on a level that is almost impossible for we mortals to understand. Most of the damage done before they were driven off was unintentional, a mere byproduct of the constant warfare between them. Only now that they have been seperated from each other do they concentrate upon Earth itself.”

“That… is quite a bit to take in.” Severus admitted.

“You were far more ready for it than our other new apprentice.” The Ancient One poured some more tea into her cup. “He has incredible potential, yet there is still so much attachment to the material about him… He will make a great leader some day.”

.

* * *

.

The sight of a small portal opening by the bookshelves caused Severus to pause in his tracks, then a hand reached through it, extracting a book almost silently. The slight _feel_ of the closing portal alerted the Master overseeing the library to the book-theft and Severus’ lips twitched slightly as recognized the hands as belonging to the American who had managed to join the Monastery.

Although the man’s chutzpah amused Severus, his personality was just enough like the long-deceased James Potter that Severus had found himself unable to actually like the man. He could respect his tenacity, his drive and his refusal to let any obstacle delay him for long, but he would never actually _like_ the man.

A second portal briefly opened and the Master swore as another of his beloved tomes vanished. Biting back an unexpected chuckle, Severus hurried onward to his appointment with the Medicine makers of Tammaj-an, each a Potions-Master in all but official certification and willing to help him with some of his own projects in exchange for whichever of the recipes that he had perfected he was willing to teach them in return.

A loud slamming of hands on a desk behind him marked the Master’s discovery that a _third_ tome had been _borrowed_.

.

* * *

.

“I came across a reference in a book yesterday.” Snape noted as the Ancient One sat down on the bench beside him. “Something called the Mind Barrier Reef?”

“Ah, yes. It is where the minds of latent telepaths grow together in their sleep.” The Ancient One nodded. “According to one who has seen it, it is located within Ideaspace.”

“The more I learn, the more questions I have.” Severus half-grumbled.

“As it should be.”

“You sound a lot like Dumbledore used to.” Severus sighed, earning a raised eyebrow and slight smile.

“Albus Dumbledore was a very wise man. Flawed, like most great men are, but aware of his flaws and always trying to overcome them. Had he chosen to, he could very easily have ruled all of Britain, perhaps even Europe and been beloved for doing so, but he knew the temptations of power and the price that it exacts on those who seek it.”

“You sound like you knew him.” Severus carefully prompted.

“He was young, back when we met. Young, almost carefree. It was before he met his greatest love and greatest enemy, Grindlewald. Before his sister was damaged by those who saw the world not as for all, but only for themselves. He shone so brightly back then. I often wonder what would have been had I brought him here and taught him. He could have been a truly great Sorcerer Supreme… perhaps the greatest in all history.”

“I… I admit that I am having a great deal of trouble picturing him as a young man.”

The Ancient One’s laugh was almost musical.

.

* * *

.

The shock-wave through the magical field was enough to pull Severus away from his haggling and had he not been in a Diagon Alley, his Apparition from where he was standing to the front door of the London Sanctum Sanctorum would have probably landed him in significant legal difficulties with the Ministry of Magic. Reaching the front door, he paused for just long enough to ensure his wand was ready for spell-casting (despite the training, he was nowhere near good enough with wandless magic to hold his own against those who had achieved Mastery and anything that could threaten _them_ required nothing less than his very best), he pushed the door open and peered through the widening gap.

Even before the door had finished opening, he was through it and casting as many healing spells as he could on the half-dozen practitioners lying wounded on the floor.

The four corpses he ignored for the time being. The living deserved his attention, the dead could wait.

While casting healing spells and pulling potion vials out of his belt-pouches in order to force the injured to drink, he barely noticed others appearing, some through the doors and others through the golden portals of the Sling Rings, each one taking in the situation at a glance before moving to give aid. Finally, there was no more to do and Severus almost flinched as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

Severus nodded wearily at the thanks that the Ancient One had given. “What happened?”

“Master Kaecilius.” The Ancient One sighed, sadness infusing her voice. “He has destroyed part of the Threefold Shield that protects against incursions from the Dark Dimension.”

Severus looked round at the damaged room. “Where will he go next?”

“Either Hong Kong or New York.” The Ancient One finally replied. Severus nodded, then rose from his knees, looking down at the woman he had been treating. “You have saved several lives.”

“And I can save more.” Severus declared. “I need to get to the Potions lab that I set up so that I can…”

Severus stopped, looking at the item that had just been placed in his hand.

“You know how to use this. Your actions have shown that, although you are not a Master of Tammaj-An, you have proven yourself worthy of carrying a Sling Ring. Use it wisely.”

Severus returned his wand to his holster, then donned the ring, raising his other hand as he pictured his laboratory back in his house. At his command, the portal opened and he spared enough time to nod at the Ancient One before striding through, his mind already sorting through the potions stored in his stasis cupboards and which ones would be most useful.

.

* * *

.

Snape stepped through the Portal and pushed his way into the doctors struggling to work on the broken form of the Ancient One. Taking in the situation at a glance, he pulled out a small vial, then tapped it with his wand before moving to stand against the wall.

“…we’ve lost her.” A voice called and Severus stepped forwards.

“Then I will see to the required rites. She was my teacher, helping me learn what I needed to learn. She… will be missed.”

Several of the medical staff looked sympathetic, although he could see Doctor Strange giving him odd looks. Once everyone else had left, Snape opened a Portal to a place that was very familiar to him and motioned for Strange to push the stretcher through.

“Poppy!” He called as he saw the surprised Medi-witch staring at the Portal. “Call for backup, I have someone who needs healing.”

Strange gave him a confused look and Severus held up the empty vial whose contents he had spelled into the Ancient One’s stomach.

“Draught of Living Death. It will buy several hours for Poppy and I, as well as her colleagues to do one of her regular miracles, but it will take a long time for the Ancient One to recover. Go, deal with the traitor.”

Strange nodded, then vanished through a Portal.

.

.

A slight tingling from the alert wards he had set told Snape that the Ancient One was waking up. Placing the last of the potion into the final vial, Snape donned the Sling Ring and used it to step into the Infirmary.

“Severus, you stop doing that!” Poppy scolded half-heartedly, but Severus simply stepped past her and looked at the thin woman on the bed, a woman whose eyes were starting to twitch as her consciousness rose back into the realms of the awakened.

Finally, her eyes opened and she looked round before her gaze came to rest on Snape.

“Welcome back, Ancient One.” The normally-dour man said with a slight smile.

“…how … long?”

“Several weeks. The damage from the fall was quite intensive and even with all we could do, you will not return to the level of health you once had.”

The Ancient One nodded slowly. “It may be for the best… who has stepped in to my place?”

“Stephen Strange.” Severus rolled his eyes, then frowned. “And the one called Mordo has decided to leave your Order… indications are that he has decided that there are too many magic users. I hate to consider what he’ll do if he discovers the Wizarding World exists.”

“What is done is done.” The Ancient One stated tiredly. “The connection I used to sustain myself while I searched for my replacement has been severed. While I am not at risk of dying soon, I doubt that I have more than a few years left and should I return to Tammaj-An, some of those who even now misdoubt Strange’s abilities will call for me to step back up again despite my weakened state.”

Severus gave a small smirk. “I believe that I can arrange matters. I know someone who will happily welcome you into his household.”

A raised eyebrow was his only response.

.

.

Severus let the portal close behind him as he returned to his laboratory, leaving Frank and Alice eagerly conversing with their new houseguest who had already endeared herself to Lord Longbottom by explaining the mistakes he was making in regard to his attempts to copy the style of Tammaj-An. As the portal finished dispersing, he flicked a finger, sending an Etherial Whip strand out to snag one of his stirring-sticks.

He smiled slightly as he carefully removed the Sling Ring he had been gifted and placed it in the belt-pouch that he had reserved for it. While he was no true Sorcerer, he was only too happy to admit that the Sling Ring was a far superior means of transportation than Apparition, Portkeys or the Floo system.

He frowned briefly in thought. Although Lord Potter (or those who worked for him) would be able to duplicate the magic of the ring, he was curious to see what Lord Malfoy would do once he demonstrated the Portal to him.

After all, many magical inventions came from finding different ways to accomplish things in similar manners to the original demonstration.

Severus nodded. Evans Enterprises and Blackwolf Industries currently held a near-monopoly on the many models of Switching Rooms, it would be fascinating to watch White Wing Artificers enter the transportation market.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the events of Doctor Strange happened, yet the end result was slightly different.  
> This chapter was set up in Snape's conversation with Horace Slughorn in the last chapter and now we know where the inspiration for White Wing Artificers' Doors came from..


End file.
